Saying 'you can't outwork a bad diet' is like saying 'you can't hit a thousand pound total'.
It would be shocking if you could do it on day 1.
Impressive if you could do it by day 100.
If you can't do it by day 1000, there's something wrong with your programming or adherence.
Wow, what a completely unpredictable outcome to elective surgery, this NEVER happens, everyone is always SO happy /s
Tell your friends to love their bodies.
I connected Claude to my Strava, asked it to analyze my training history and provide feedback on my strengths and weaknesses.
It told me that I race too often to make any progress.
@taggartvanetten the world is spawning digital heathens.
Difficult to say exactly when you become an “older runner.” It’s usually not one thing, but a combination of things. Here are some of the signs I’ve noticed.
1. Loss of your top gear
I played ball sports (football, rugby, soccer) when I was younger and could hit a pretty decent top speed sprinting down the field. I don’t have quite the same juice anymore.
I first noticed it in my mid 30s doing hill sprints. Not a huge deal, but it’s certainly a sign you’re past your athletic prime when your fastest fast has started to decline.
2. Getting injured doing nothing
Part of getting older is dealing with random aches and pains that sometimes have no obvious explanation. You also start picking up little injuries and thinking, “I got injured from doing THAT?”
This happened to me recently. I was doing a simple plyometric exercise that I felt like I was being pretty careful with. Apparently not. My Achilles flared up the next day. I don’t remember that kind of thing happening 10-15 years ago when I was doing similar workouts.
3. Long, careful warmups
These days I’m fairly deliberate about warming up before interval workouts, faster running, or max effort work in the gym.
An older runner can still sprint, jump, and lift heavy. You just need to prepare yourself for the task. You can’t get away with doing everything cold like you could when you were younger.
4. Facing your running mortality
I honestly didn’t know if I would run again after dealing with a serious injury in 2023-2024.
I got through it, but at age 43 it made me think about what I want from running for the rest of my life.
Races are fun, but mostly I’m just grateful to be healthy enough to run regularly and run fast occasionally. That’s what I want to keep doing for as long as possible.
5. Embracing the value of cross training
Coming back from that injury, I made cross training the foundation of my training.
I’m running a decent amount now, but my loose goal is still 1-2 hours of aerobic training every day. The bike, elliptical, StairMaster, etc are always available as low risk options that help me stay healthy while continuing to build fitness.
Sometimes the smartest thing an older runner can do is choose the option that allows them to train again tomorrow.
@kindafancyyy@codyjwatkins@EquipFoods It's tough to blame them. Consumers demand what they demand, and the truth is that feeling plays a huge role in our enjoyment of anything culinary. You've gotta ask what all this stuff means in context, not just react to the labels.